afroniger:


The igbos alone hate him coz they accuse him of immense brutality against their kinsmen during the civil war. Oh well..

OfoIgbo:


I am not aware of any official documentation of massacres carried out by Biafrans in Benin. However if it really happened, then Col. Banjo should be held responsible, afterall he was the commander of that force

jaymichael:
Do you mean Biafran soldiers never killed any single "unharmed" men? Your father and you are greater fool.

OfoIgbo:


I am not aware of any official documentation of massacres carried out by Biafrans in Benin. However if it really happened, then Col. Banjo should be held responsible, afterall he was the commander of that force

"The relationship between the two sides deteriorated progressively and the Biafran efforts to secure the people's support failed.

The battle front reports were equally unfavourable to the Biafrans who then resorted to extensive witch-hunting against suspected saboteurs.

The Biafran forces, who were relatively calm during the first one month of the occupationperiod, became progressively edgy, tightening the various governmental gadgets of societal control.

As the Biafran hostility developed to crisis proportions, the dusk to dawn curfew was further enforced, the Vigilance and Security Councils given additional powers, and the Biafran Army and Militia became more ruthless in their dealings with the civilians.

The civilian collaborators doubled their spying activities to callous dimensions. [45]

The situation drifted for the worse.

Taking the Mid Western refusal to support the secessionist movement as a demonstration of an anti-Ibo and pro-Hausa stance, the Biafrans intensified their search for suspected saboteurs as every set-back on the battle front was invariably blamed on sabotage.

Heavier reprisals followed.

At Abudu, over 300 bodies, including those of children, were found in the Ossiomo river as the Biafrans withdrew. [46]

Similarly, on 20 September 1967, 'there was a mass killing of non-Ibo MidWesterners at Boji-Boji Agbor', and on 23 September, 'non-Ibo speaking MidWesterners were apprehended by rebel soldiers at Asaba, Ibusa and Agbor and taken [in two lorries] to a rubber plantation along Uromi-Agbor road and massacred'.[47]

The more minor cases of rape, extortion, seizure of properties, and other punishments featured abundantly.

For instance, a Warri-based lawyer, E. K. Iseru, testified at the Tribunal that he was stripped naked and detained for three days without food for agitating for the Rivers State, and, when he complained of hunger, he was promptly told: 'there is no food for Hausa friends'. [48]

FANE4Naija:

Loooool... You're a fool, sneh.

zendy:
It truly beats my imagination that in this 21st century, a genocidal killer like Murtala can actually be hailed a hero. How is it that this mass murderer can have landmarks such as an international Airport named after him? Why is his face on the national currency? How can such a "Cauldron of evil" like Murtala be granted any form of praise or recognition even though everyone knows the atrocities he committed? Just incredible!! A man who personally superviced the killings of thousands of people is a hero? Tufiakwa!!

revolt:
then go bck and read history, the asaba massacre was jes 1 of his legacies, find out what he did in 1966 during the reprisal coups in kano. He had a sick desire to kill civilians , women and children. Even in the airports.

PassingShot:

From your link I got this:

If it was reported that Major Taiwo was responsible for the massacre, why are you blaming it on Col. Murtala Muhammed? Or is it because he commanded Nigerian 2nd Division? Beside, all is fair in war and love.

Let every young man read up on the Civil war and understand that wars are not tea parties.

May Nigeria never ever experience another war in our history. Let those who want to secede find a peaceful means to do so.

jauntty:
[size=16pt]"All is fair in war and love"


One man's Hero is another man's Devil.

I remember some stories of the war told by my Grandpa about the Biafra invasion of Benin, and honestly both side were terrible.

I just hope that those cowards who hide behind the comfort of their cheap phones typing SECESSION and "give us Biafra " will not consider another war. If you must go, then go peacefully. War is never pleasant[/size]

Caseless:
you need history class.


You toads cry as if your foolish brothers did not kill other people.

jomonic:


If the story of Biafran massacre in Benin exists, why was it never told, documented. Why not tell it now because it can never be too late.

"The relationship between the two sides deteriorated progressively and the Biafran efforts to secure the people's support failed.

The battle front reports were equally unfavourable to the Biafrans who then resorted to extensive witch-hunting against suspected saboteurs.

The Biafran forces, who were relatively calm during the first one month of the occupationperiod, became progressively edgy, tightening the various governmental gadgets of societal control.

As the Biafran hostility developed to crisis proportions, the dusk to dawn curfew was further enforced, the Vigilance and Security Councils given additional powers, and the Biafran Army and Militia became more ruthless in their dealings with the civilians.

The civilian collaborators doubled their spying activities to callous dimensions. [45]

The situation drifted for the worse.

Taking the Mid Western refusal to support the secessionist movement as a demonstration of an anti-Ibo and pro-Hausa stance, the Biafrans intensified their search for suspected saboteurs as every set-back on the battle front was invariably blamed on sabotage.

Heavier reprisals followed.

At Abudu, over 300 bodies, including those of children, were found in the Ossiomo river as the Biafrans withdrew. [46]

Similarly, on 20 September 1967, 'there was a mass killing of non-Ibo MidWesterners at Boji-Boji Agbor', and on 23 September, 'non-Ibo speaking MidWesterners were apprehended by rebel soldiers at Asaba, Ibusa and Agbor and taken [in two lorries] to a rubber plantation along Uromi-Agbor road and massacred'.[47]

The more minor cases of rape, extortion, seizure of properties, and other punishments featured abundantly.

For instance, a Warri-based lawyer, E. K. Iseru, testified at the Tribunal that he was stripped naked and detained for three days without food for agitating for the Rivers State, and, when he complained of hunger, he was promptly told: 'there is no food for Hausa friends'. [48]

logica:




http://rethinkingbiafra..com/2012/10/biafran-war-crimes-horror-in-midwest.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midwest_Invasion_of_1967
http://www.dawodu.net/midwest.htm

By the way, The Midwest Invasion of 1967 lasted from August 9 – September 20, 1967; the Asaba massacre occurred in October, 1967. Obviously, it was retaliatory.

jomonic:


Please read the post below quoted verbatim from Wikipedia:

"On August 17 Governor Okonkwo installed a dusk to dawn curfew in which only citizens with passes would be allowed to move freely at night. Non-Igbo citizens, especially the Hausa community, were subject to harassment from Biafran soldiers while women were often molested and sometimes raped, this in retaliation for the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom. Resistance groups began springing up constantly consisting of mainly ethnic Urhobos and Ijaws. Because of a series of uprisings against the occupying Biafrans in Benin City, General Okonkwo began raising a force of loyal native inhabitants to combat the rebels. By August 18 Okonkwo had assembled a force of 780 reliable volunteers to keep natives from attacking or killing Biafran soldiers. Loyal inhabitants donated whatever weaponry they has to the Biafrans, which consisted mainly of single-shot rifles and double-barreled shotguns. Cooks began poisoning Biafran soldiers whenever they had the chance to and it was because of this that Biafran soldiers began only eating food that was cooked by ethnic Igbos or self-cooked. Rebellious natives who did not wish to fight would often seduce Biafran soldiers to get information out of them and tell Nigerian authorities. On August 20 a group of Urhobo/Ijaw rebels raided a Biafran camp and were successful in killing 50 soldiers while 16 rebels were killed in the skirmish. Due to these rebellions Biafran soldiers began raiding and pillaging villages throughout both the Mid-Western Region and Niger Delta inhabited by anyone other than Igbo civilians. The Biafran government began broadcasting Biafran propaganda in the region while the Nigerian government broadcast anti-Biafran propaganda as well. On September 19 President Ojukwu declared Governor Okonkwo President of the Biafran puppet-state, the Republic of Benin, in an attempt to make citizens of the Mid-Western Region loyal to a government other than Nigeria."

logica:
Eh ehn? What is there to read? You want to justify the atrocities committed by Biafrans in the Mid-West? Did the Mid-Western region ask Biafrans to come occupy their territory? If the people you occupy their territory don't want you there, then you leave PEACEFULLY. Simple. But no, Biafrans had to "revenge" forgetting they were the ones who made the first wrong move in going to occupy a territory where they were not wanted. Now, after the Biafrans revenge which was the usual killing of defenseless civilians where even women and children were not spared, the Nigerian Army paid them in kind. End of.

jomonic:


That was enemy territory. Let's say the truth. Were there no Benin or Yoruba soldiers one the federal side. You hate and fight the biafran troops but pretend to be a great friend. What will they do to you when they find out. Your guess is as good as mine.

logica:
I know it is a waste of time responding to you since logic is generally not the strength of people where you seem to come from; but once again Biafran soldiers occupied Midwestern Region uninvited. They were not wanted. Maybe that's what friendship means where you come from, but I sure know a man who forcefully enters your house is not a friend; he is rather an intruder or even worse a thief. If the Biafrans felt they had the right to retaliate by using mass murder, killing women and children, then it appears they were too dense to realize that they didn't have monopoly on violence. So, yes, the Federal troops paid them back in their own coin. The only reason we are having this discussion right now is because the Biafrans are still the ones crying over the matter; Mid-Westerners had since moved on with their various lives. Shikena.

jomonic:


Blah blah blah...Biafra was over powered by the Nigerian forces who were powered by the arsenals donated by the world powers. That to me is cowardice and nothing to be proud of. Only cowards like your brothers OBJ and Gowon and the like will continue to lay claims to greatness based on their civil war records. Yes Biafra was overpowered and so was France in 1871 by Germany who occupied the French state of Alsace for over 40years and were very arrogant in the process. But Germany gave back the city of Alsace in 1917 with their heads down under the ultimatum occasioned by the "Treaty of versailles". Injustice my friend does not last forever.

My Government teacher in secondary school "Sir Kings" always said a lot of goodies about Murtala and I loved him then until I heard about Asaba massacre.

If truly he masterminded it and others, he should rot in hell.

ezeagu:


https://vimeo.com/71894404


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEaX9lVVrCM